Abyssal Reverie

Chapter 11: Missing Limbs

"To temper your belief in all my promises. To swallow my desire and choke on it."

This pain was unlike anything I had ever felt before. Like the limbs of my body were severing themselves from me, as I made my way out of the ocean palace in my mind, I could feel the shivers Sleep left finding their way down my spine, and my arms. The burning sensation in my face kept the circles from her tentacles ablaze on my cheeks. I could feel Vessel's hands caressing my skin, moving with such a fury that I wasn't sure it was just him. I couldn't move; if I moved, the pain would spread. It took everything inside of me not to scream, even as the pain tore through the most sensitive parts of me.
what felt like hours passed, the pain ebbing and flowing as though it knew this course that was my body better than even I did. When I thought it was almost over it started again. I could feel the sweat beading at my temples, at the skin just below my ears, I begged for it to stop. For anyone to make it stop. But, in every moment of agony I endured I could feel Vessel at my side, His hand on mine as I fought through the waves of torture.

"You are strong, and You can do this." His words were quiet but stern. "You are not allowed to die, do you hear me?" His hands would wipe away the pools of sweat; he would push my hair out of my face. He gently caressed my skin. All without me saying a word to him. The tension I carried in my mouth to keep it closed caused me to bite my cheeks, the blood filling my small airway and dripping out of the corners of my maw.

Each moment I suffered under the weight of the pain, Vessel suffered at my side. Each of his disciples came to his aid, to give him a reprieve from watching the dying girl, but he wouldn't take it.
"You need rest; you can't help her if you are also exhausted." III spoke from what sounded so far away. My eyes were so heavy, that opening them seemed impossible, but I was able to catch a small glimpse of III on the other side of the black cloud surrounding us. Why was Vessel still protecting us? Did we need protection?
"She will remain in my care, and that is final." I could see Vessel's chest to the right of me, still covered in black paint fading due to the saltwater now dry on his skin. Small flaking crystals decorated his dark clothes. His robe was long gone; even now, as I stared through slotted eyes, I was amazed by his devotion to remain hidden from me... from all of us.

~

As time passed, I felt the pain lessening within me, the weakness now replaced with fatigue. I needed to rest, but I was terrified of what my dreams would bring me. Would it be more dreams of my family? Of the Deity Sleep who now haunted my every thought? I cradled myself, holding onto what I knew to be true so tightly.
"Selah, Are you awake Selah?" I could feel his hand shifting over my skin again, turning me towards where he was seated. "Can you open your eyes for me now?"

I didn't want to. I wanted to lay here forever, to forget everything that had happened to me over the last few weeks; I wanted to see my family again. I fought the urge to pull deeper into myself and attempted to pry my eyes open. The light hurt, tears welling in the dry corners where I held the sleep, salt, blood, and tears from the previous days. They burned under the pressure of the tears. Pushing myself onto my side, I turned to face Vessel. He looked haggard, the black blood still covering his mask, now paired with the deep rust color of what I Imagined was my blood. His face was laden with worry; the mask shifted slightly upward, revealing just a hint more of his cupid's bow.

"There she is." I could see the tension from his body release, starting with his shoulders. He shifted his weight in his chair, pulling me into a sitting position. The heaviness of my limbs caused me to wiggle a bit, off balance. The world spun around me so fast that I had to reach out to Vessel to keep myself from falling forward. He held them tightly, pulling me into him. He smelled of Sweat, salt, and incense. The small trails through the black paint reveal his soft, pale skin. I lay there against his skin, contemplating the effort it would take to move from this spot.
"How are you feeling?" The lilt in his voice was soft, quiet. I could feel his chin moving across the crown of my head as he spoke.
"Like death." The voice that came out of me was not my own. It was thick and raw, the burning in my throat reminding me that I was fighting for my life.
"It's amazing to me just how often you end up here, in this room, with some ailment that was mostly self-inflicted." I felt his smile creeping to his lips, leaning back to stare at his stark white teeth. The points of his canines elongated his mouth. The plushness of his lips was replaced with dry, cracked skin. He looked as though he hadn't slept in days.